Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-09-15

few letters she had had time to receive,
or talking with her friends of the days
when she knew him, but did not know
that he loved her, while Ofrenest of all
she loved to calculate when he would re-
turn and where he might be. Indeed the
one great question which exercised the
whole family was, when could Henry be
back? 1t is not necessary to add that
she was ever on the lockout for the post
man, and her father laughed again and
again at the new born punctuality of her
habits, and at the sanctity which attached
to letters, which she always received with
her own hands. Her devotion 10 this
respect was almost ludicrous, and forum
ately it was we'll rewarded, while she her.
self was encouraged in her new habit of
early rising by the coincidence that on
the one or two occasions when she was
late no letters came by mail.
Time flew by and her lovers approach
was expected. She had received news of
the vessel by which he intended to return,
and, as the latter was posted only just in
advance, his arrival was reasonably ex-
pected in few days. Rut the vessel
which was to have brought him only
brought letter in which he explained
the cause of his unfortunate detention.
The agent whom be had confirmed in the
management of the property, owing to
the failure of company in which he was
concerned, had been obliged to quit the
country, and Henry Brinton (such WAS
his name) overtaken by the news at
Sydney, had been forced to quit the
vessel and return once more to New
Zealand. But shortly arterward another
letter announced that he was again on
his way home, and this time he asked
that, as he had been so delayed, the mar
rage might take place the week after his
return. Of course there were mary eb-
| jections, but equally, of course, these OBJ
| iections were overruled, and the dag of
the ceremony was fixed on the Wednes-
day after the arrival of the traveller.
Unfortunately, the chapter OF accidents
was only at its beginning. AS they speed
| lily found, the marriage was not to take
place when arranged, for another letter
| told Olive how MIR. Brinton had been at
tackled by fever in the Red Sea, and of
the desperate extremity to which he was
| breught. At the bottom OF this letter,
written in strange hand, there was a
| faint pencil scrawl, in which the lover
himself had tried to send his own brief
message of affection, despite the weak
ness which scarcely allowed his fingers TO
guide pencil.
! A terrible time of anxiety spread itself
| out before those at home, Olive seemed
1 to fail in health and to skNn all exertiOn,
/ while all her interest conferred in the visits
1 of the postman, for waose arrival she
would watch wistfully, and too often ia
vain. 1t was only at his approach that
she looked off the lassit2ae which had be-
| come hab1tual; on such occasions she
would run to the gate, and even walk
down the lane to aseet him and see
whether he had letter for her. Sometimes
she returned brighter than she went, fol-
then she had letter and knew at least
that he still lived. They followed mis-
course closely. It wgs at first but poor
consolation TO hear that he had been put
ashore at Malta, bEs after that letters
came more frequently, and each one
seemed to gaze further accounts Of lee
provement till at length it was aa
nounced that he YVES coming over to the
mainland to make che rest of his way
home. There was something of comfer
in the thought that the distance whacf
| lay between them could be bridged in
days, and anxiety grew less and hope
| moro hardy as mail after mail broEgh
the news of increasing strength.
Once clear of the hot South, his health
seemed to return with a sudden boEnd
and when letter came from Paris there
seemed to be no longer room for doHbt a:
toshis speedy return. In the train &c Bou
logpe, however, he showed signs of fresf
feebleness, once indeed fainting away, &c
the alarm eff an old friend who had come
over to France to meet him. Whea BIZ
revived his first remark, as his friend
wrote to Olives mether, was a true evi
denee OF the7strength of his attachment
for, with faint smile, he said, "Ah, I've
quite falsifed my little Olives pet the
ory.'' She, it seems with girlish netul
ance, had eftimes maintained tkat no
body need faint if emily their mind was
made Up to cesist the impulse, At Bou
logRe he was taken into the hotel and
put to bed. To his friends mingled hor-
ror and amusement 4 70 showed sym ptoIns
of having caught the measles, u matter
soon put beyond doubt by the opinion
OF an English doctorstaying in the house
fortunately, the attack was but slight
and the lapse of three weeks saw him re
factory than that which he had enjoyed
since his frat illness.
Now, indeed, we must return to Olive.
i AT iast her hopes were nearing tOiHA-
! ment. She grew mere cheerful, brighter,
! and every morning she came down stairs
/ .hummlng light song of gladness, while
her eyes glistened softly with the feeling
OF love rendered more pct snt by the trials
it had undergone. She and her father
were to go up to London 90 greet him on
his arrival, but at the last minute their
departure was postponed by a letter
fron their friends with whom they were
to stay. They were in great trouble,
indeed, wholly unable to take them in.
| But this matter seemed of slight account,
as the next day they heard that Henry
| had reached town, and proposed, after a
delay of two days, to come straight on to
the North.
Their surmise was all too hasty, for a
few days proved that it had been better
for them to go up to town despite all in
convenience. The measles had left a
weakness of the eyesight, and after see
ing his doctor Henry Brinton found it
necessary to remain for week longer to
consult an ocOlist. 1t was not without
feelings of trepidetion that they awaited
the account of the interview; but when it
| came they were once more to experience
the feeling. SO often experienced in their